1 online resource (xx, 468 pages) :

"Discovery and exposure of the U.S. military's inhumane treatment of detainees at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp generated a media frenzy that many argue irrevocably damaged America's reputation as a world leader. Worldwide scrutiny of the photos and descriptions of the abuse of enemy prisoners of war, or EPWs, from the war on terror incited allegations of human rights violations and possible war crimes and left many wondering whether the mistreatment of these prisoners was an isolated set of circumstances or, conversely, one example among many of atrocities rooted in our nation's history. Drawing from diverse primary sources, military historian Robert C. Doyle illuminates America's prisoner of war policies from the founding era to the present. A work of history with direct relevance to contemporary events, The Enemy in Our Hands: America's Treatment of Prisoners of War from the Revolution to the War on Terror examines every major war and conflict, from the American Revolution through the Civil War, both world wars, Vietnam, and Afghanistan, to provide a comprehensive understanding of American treatment of EPWs. Doyle offers a nuanced interpretation of American military history, suggesting that the treatment of EPWs in each conflict was a unique reflection of the prevailing political attitudes of the day. The military's incarceration practices with prisoners, particularly its methods used for interrogation, have evolved dramatically since the prisoner exchanges of the American Revolution. Using graphic details of the experiences of captured enemy combatants and civilians, The Enemy in Our Hands explores each war's adherence to international standards of conduct, including the 1929 Geneva Convention. The Enemy in Our Hands is a complete cultural analysis of a complicated issue the nation has struggled with since its inception. As the context of modern warfare continues to be shaped by current events, it is incumbent upon America to consider its treatment of EPWs and how that treatment defines national character."--Provided by publisher

Includes bibliographical references (pages 371-437) and index

Print version record

Introduction: The enemy: imposing the condition of captivity -- Prisoners of independence: British and Hessian enemy prisoners of war -- Habeas corpus: war against Loyalists and Quakers -- Second American revolution: cartel and enemy prisoners of the War of 1812 -- Manifest destiny versus nativism: Mexico, 1846-1848 -- Prisoners of politics: a very uncivil war -- Indians as POWs in America: from discovery to 1914 -- Spaniards and Insurrectos: Spanish-American War (1898) and war in the Philippines (1899-1905) -- Over there and over here: enemy prisoners of war and prisoners of state in the Great War -- Pensionierte Wehrmacht: German and Italian POWs and internees in the United States -- Reborn: Japanese soldiers as enemy prisoners of war and American Nisei internees -- After the victory: optimism, justice, or vengeance? -- Prisoners at war: forced repatriation and the prison revolts in Korea -- Vietnam quagmire: enemy prisoners of war, Phoenix, and the Vietcong infrastructure -- To Desert Storm and beyond: enemy prisoners of war and the conflict of rules -- Iraqi freedom, Abu Ghraib, and the Guantanamo: the problem of the moral high ground -- Evolution of new paradigms: reflections on the past, present, and future -- Appendixes. Loyalists units organized in the American Revolution ; Cartel for the exchange of POWs in the War of 1812 ; Confederate and union POW camps ; General order 207: instructions for the government of armies of the United States ; Andersonville deaths, 1864-1865 ; Hague convention ratified by the United States, 3 December 1909 ; German prisoners captured by US divisions, 1917-1918 ; Executive order 9066 ; World War II trials of US personnel ; Nuremberg principles, 1946 ; Geneva convention, 1949 ; US code of conduct, 1954

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